What are the hazards of hydrogen gas? Hydrogen gas (CAS# 1333-74-0) is not toxic to breathe, although it can function as an asphyxiant if it displaces enough breathable air. Hydrogen gas has a low LEL and a broad flammability range, so the flammability/explosivity...
Why does nitric acid have an SOP when the other strong acids don't? There are six “strong” acids noted in general chemistry textbooks for their ability to fully dissociate in water: hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, sulfuric acid,...
I've worked with corrosives before. What makes HF and other fluorides special? The chemicals below, and related soluble fluoride salts, release fluoride ions (F-): ammonium fluoride (CAS# 12125-01-8) ammonium bifluoride (CAS# 1341-49-7) hydrofluoric acid (CAS#...
DMSO is the classic polar aprotic solvent. It's used in lots of known reactions. Why should I worry? DMSO decomposes with heating, and the decomposition products catalyze further decomposition, resulting in a runaway reaction that has caused explosions resulting in...
What is a stench chemical? Stench chemicals have an extremely foul smell that is detectable by the human nose in parts-per-billion amounts, depending on the compound. While the stench may not be known to have toxic effects, it can still negatively impact laboratory...
